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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2020)
sNok signflz FEBRUARY 15, 2020 Tiny dancers Error discovered working on Reservation Act CONGRESS continued from front page Photos by Timothy J. Gonzalez From left, Tiny Tot Grace Macon, 6, Little Miss Princess Aubrey Campbell, 7, and Little Miss Princess Kalea Liebelt, 8, participate in Grand Entry during the February Youth Powwow held in the Tribal gym on Wednesday, Feb. 12. The event was a time for people to eat and have a good time powwow dancing in a safe place. The event was sponsored by the Indigenous Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health). Children and adults participate in one of the dances during the February Youth Powwow held in the Tribal gym on Wednesday, Feb. 12. The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Umpqua • Molalla • Rogue River • Kalapuya • Chasta 9 turned 9,811 acres to the Tribe. Surveyor David Thompson had incorrectly surveyed the eastern boundary of the Reservation, leav- ing 84 acres unsurveyed. The land also was excluded from a 1904 sale of unallotted lands within the Res- ervation and Grand Ronde was not compensated for it. Until the error was discovered, BLM treated the land as Oregon and California Railroad Grant Lands and permitted private com- panies to harvest timber on the acreage. After being informed of the sur- vey error, the Tribe determined the parcel, called the Thompson Strip, was unmanageable because of narrow boundaries and divided ownership interests. The Tribe agreed to accept a 240-acre parcel of grant lands adjacent to the Grand Ronde Reservation in exchange and surrender its claims to the Thomp- son Strip. However, the Department of the Interior in 1994 “developed broad language that relinquished any future claims of this type within the state of Oregon” by the Grand Ronde Tribe. “In agreeing to this land ex- change in 1994, the intent of the parties was for Grand Ronde to relinquish its rights only to the Thompson Strip,” Kennedy said. “There was no intention by BLM or BIA officials involved in this land swap to extinguish the Tribe’s land claim rights for the entire state of Oregon.” Kennedy said the Tribe only dis- covered the issue recently while working on a different amendment to the Reservation Act. “While we are not aware of any specific new survey errors or land claim issues, we do want to be proactive about ensuring that the Tribe has the right to be compensat- ed should another problem arise,” she said. “As we re-acquire lands within our Reservation boundaries, my staff tells me that we frequently find small survey inconsistencies when title searches are conducted. We want to be prepared if and when additional errors are uncovered.” House Resolution 4888, sponsored by Oregon Reps. Kurt Schrader, Suzanne Bonamici, Peter DeFazio and Earl Blumenauer, would re- place the phrase “state of Oregon” with the phrase “84 acres known as the Thompson Strip” in the Grand Ronde Reservation Act. A companion bill in the U.S. Senate is supported by Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley. “On behalf of Grand Ronde, we hope the members of the Com- mittee on Natural Resources will support this legislation and vote it favorably out of committee,” Ken- nedy said. Darryle LaCounte, director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs within the Department of the Interior, testified that the bureau suggests further investigation be conducted to see if HR 4888 is an appropriate solution. However, under questioning by Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, LaCounte said that he did not know that internal BLM memos from 1994 obtained by the Tribe through a Freedom of Information Act stated that the original inten- tion was to only eliminate Tribal claims to the Thompson Strip and not throughout the state. “The bill extinguishes all claims established by the Executive Order of June 30, 1857,” one BLM memo stated in 1994. “This bill should only apply to the Thompson Strip because there may be other similar problems that we are not aware of at this time.” In her testimony, Kennedy was critical of the Department of the Interior for not adhering to its trust responsibilities and looking out for the best interests of the Grand Ronde Tribe in 1994. Under questioning from Gallego, she also said that Tribal Council members at the time were not aware of the broad language that was amended into the Reservation Act. Schrader, in his written testi- mony supporting the bill, said it would “restore historical parity by reinstating Grand Ronde’s ability to pursue claims to land within the state of Oregon that are based on their original Grand Ronde Reser- vation. No other Tribe in Oregon has had their land claim rights extinguished for the entire state.” Tribal Attorney Rob Greene ac- companied Kennedy on the trip to Washington, D.C. Chinuk Family Winter Stories Night TAX TIME 2020 Portland Office Wednesday, March 18, 2020 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. With Karen Case Please call Lisa at 503-879-1881 Where: achaf-hammi Plankhouse (Grand Ronde Plankhouse) When: Feb. 20 th at 5:30 CTGR Por tland O f f i c e 4 4 45 SW Barbu r Bl vd. # 101, Po r tl an d, O R 97239 Lisa Archuleta - 503-879 -1881 w w w.gra n d ro n de.o rg Ad by Samuel Briggs III Please join the Chinuk Wawa Language Program for an evening of Chinuk Wawa story telling, food, and singing & dancing. Each attending family will take home a copy of the story. Dinner will be provided and everyone is welcome. *Please RSVP to Ali Holsclaw at ali.holsclaw@grandronde.org OR 503-879-1490